I am driven by the feeling of wanting to move forward - Klara Ahlström
We met Klara Ahlström, currently Head of Lantmännen's finance department and soon in a new role as Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Agriculture Sector to talk about her career. Klara describes herself as a homebody who is driven by the feeling of moving forward and who likes to be where the action is.
Hello Klara, who are you?
I am a “southern kind of Swede” and a family mom - I like the security of family and friends.
Your best qualities?
My best quality is probably that I am good at taking things and funneling them down to become concrete and to make them understandable to others. In my spare time, I work as a volunteer at Livslinjen/Mind one evening every other week and talk to young people who are struggling in different ways. I think I had a bit of a 50-year awakening and thought a lot about what I really want with my life. With experience and now that the children are grown up and there is more time left for other things, it feels very rewarding and meaningful to be able to contribute with my communicative and coaching skills, which I feel I have.
Most proud of in your life?
I am proud of my family and our children. This summer I had a summer party. It was a great feeling to be surrounded by friends that I have known and maintained the relationship with since I was 15 years old. It's truly a privilege to have close friends and something I'm proud of.
![]()
Lantmännen is truly a company that makes an impression, with its roots in Swedish agriculture and the fact that we care about the planet. It feels like it permeates our entire Group, and it makes me proud to say that I work at Lantmännen, which is usually also met with positive feedback. It is great to see the development Lantmännen has made and to be a part of it.
Tell us about your career at Lantmännen?
I have never had a clear picture of what my career should look like, but since Lantmännen is a large company there have been opportunities and a wide scope to do many different things within our Group. Although the role on paper has remained the same, the content has varied over time. One of the advantages of being at a large company. I have also always felt listened to and, together with managers, mapped out a way forward.
What experiences do you bring with you from your previous roles?
It is a good experience to have been working both at a company and within Group functions. That way, you get a very good overall view and understanding of different perspectives. In economics, you need to be able to see different perspectives on how to manage diverse topics.
Tell us about your current role - the most fun part of the role and the most challenging?
I lead an organization of 38 employees and have two managers and a process manager who reports to me. It is a lot of fun working together to coach and set goals for the way forward. I have many different stakeholders with contacts within different companies, Group functions and IT. Also, a wide range of colleagues which is fun. We also have a constantly high workflow since we have daily operations, all year round, even during Christmas and summer, so that always poses a challenge in the daily work.
What qualities are important for success in your current role?
To be able to listen to several different perspectives and to reflect. It suits me well since that is also very much my way of being. It is also important to be able to make decisions. Sometimes it is more important to decide than to wait for all the facts. I rarely make decisions completely by myself but like to sit down with some of my closest colleagues and discuss and then come to a decision.
What is your relationship to our values of openness, holistic approach and decisiveness?
I really like Lantmännen's values and it's important to have them in the day-to-day environment. Sometimes we use them too little and have to
check-in with ourselves - are we really thinking about the big picture now? But we try to practice what we preach, and we think and talk a lot about the holistic view within our team. Openness and transparency are also something I highly value in my own leadership.
What drives you to develop?
The feeling of wanting to move forward, I think. I like to be where the action is. Days when it is too quiet and too little going on I find pretty boring. You definitely do not want an IT attack, but when that happened a few summers ago, the extra amount of work it created gave me adrenaline and I have to admit I like that part! When we push ourselves a little bit and get to show and use our full range of skills.
What do you hope will be your next step within Lantmännen? And what would you like to learn more about?
Now I have been working with finance for a long time and it is starting to feel like it is time for new challenges. This spring, I will take on a new position within the Agriculture sector. I will work with topics such as compliance and risk. It is a broad role that gives me an opportunity to broaden my horizons, which feels challenging and fun!
What are your best tips for others who want to make a career at Lantmännen?
I am a firm believer in doing a good job where you are. And to create relationships that you can benefit from both in your daily work, but also for the next step to unfold.
Lantmännen's fourth value word should be patience! Because you really need that, especially as a newcomer to Lantmännen. We are a large and complex organization, and it takes some time to understand how things fit together. If you come from smaller companies, you may also be used to a higher pace. Decisions take a little longer in our large organization and you need to be able to relate to and accept that.
How would you describe Lantmännen?
Lantmännen is truly a company that makes an impression, with its roots in Swedish agriculture and the fact that we care about the planet. It feels like it permeates our entire Group, and it makes me proud to say that I work at Lantmännen, which is usually also met with positive feedback. It is great to see the development Lantmännen has made and to be a part of it!
Finally, what does the upcoming weekend look like?
Tomorrow we will attend an Italian evening for a friend’s birthday. But tonight, we are actually driven out of the house. One of our daughters is going to Asia where she will stay for three months so the house is for her and her friends. We take refuge to the in-laws where we are going to plow through some TV series. My husband and I are good at consuming series – especially Danish crime series.
Facts Klara Ahlström
Name: Klara Ahlström
Family: Husband and three children, or adult adolescents since they are aged 22, 19 and 16 respectively. I turned 50 this summer and it feels like a turning point in my life. What is going to happen now? It is a bit of a two-edged sword actually.
Years at Lantmännen: 13 years, I started in 2011.
Previous roles: I started my career as a consultant. At Lantmännen Agriculture sector, I was first employed as an application specialist, and I quickly became involved in a large project that was ongoing during my first four years. The project, which went by the name "One way of working", reviewed all processes and systems. After that, I had the role of Process Manager Finance in Controlling at the Agriculture sector for a few years, and I worked a lot with setting the model for how we would work with continuous improvements.
My following role was as Deputy Division Controller, and I worked closely with the CFO at the Agriculture sector. About six years ago, I joined SSC Economics and Finance when it moved from Group functions to the Agriculture sector. At that time, I was responsible for deliveries from LMEA to other companies within the Group. A few years ago, it was decided that the function would move back to Group function and I then became head of that department.
Current role: Head of Lantmännen's finance department where I report to Michael Sigsfors.
Hobbies: I'm a real homebody! I like to spend time at home, meet friends and enjoy time with family. For the past three years, we have had a summerhouse in Spain, outside Marbella, so we also spend time there.
As a kid I wanted to become: I wanted to be a colleague and that I became!
Favorite product from Lantmännen's range? My absolute favorite is AXA fiber oatmeal – I have them every morning in my "overnight oats". Since we moved into our new office in Malmö, we have a Lantmännen shop in the office, which means that I try new products to a greater extent. Hatting's chia bread is delicious. And pasta is always a hit! It's a great privilege to have access to the shop!